House Unity
by Dankalish
Summary: Working title. Old story, revived on a whim. Not HBP compliant, yet. Four girls come together in a desperate attempt to unify Hogwarts. Will it work? T for later. Nothing femmeslash about it, despite the main characters I've chosen.
1. Default Chapter

CHAPTER 1

It was a hot afternoon. Hermione Granger was busy staring into Viktor Krum's eyes as the sun set over a crystal clear sea. They had just spent the entire first day of July in Hermione's sixteenth year touring around Bulgaria; Hermione had finally decided to take Viktor's offer and visit his homeland. She could feel him leaning into her, and decided that kissing him wouldn't be a bad thing. Just then, a letter dropped in between them.

"Erm," mumbled Hermione, blushing furiously, " I guess I better open that."

Viktor shifted his feet awkwardly. "I better go see what's for dinner," he scowled and began to slump back to his manor, mumbling to himself in Bulgarian.

When Hermione saw that Viktor was inside the manor, she looked at the envelope. It read:

Miss Hermione Granger

The Lake By Krum Manor

Varna, Bulgaria, Europe

"This better be good…" Hermione growled as she opened the letter.

"Mmm…Mrs. Malfoy, this soup is delicious," Pansy Parkinson complimented Narcissa Malfoy on her cooking, as she sat as straight as she possibly could, and tried to smile in a polite manner. She found it harder and harder not to keep glancing at Draco, Narcissa's son, a sixth year just like her.

Pansy considered herself the luckiest girl in the world at this moment. Not only did she have the most cunning (and good looking) Slytherin at her side, but Pansy was also a guest in the renowned Malfoy Manor, sitting at a lavish dinner table with Narcissa, the wife of the infamous Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy, and Draco, the heir to the Malfoy fortune.

Pansy was quite nervous, and wanted to make a good impression on the pureblood family, especially Draco, who didn't know she considered him more than a good friend.

Before she realized what was happening, a shabby, old barn owl flew lopsided into Pansy's head, dropping a letter into her soup bowl.

Pansy caught a glimpse of Narcissa's disapproving sneer and Draco's snicker before she quietly excused herself from the table, clutching the slightly soup-dampened letter.

Once she was in the richly decorated corridor, Pansy began to examine the letter, which was oddly from Dumbledore. Pansy was angry with the old fool for interrupting her socially important dinner, but curiosity made her read on.

To Cho Chang, playing Quidditch was one of the few ways she could release her stress as a seventeen-year-old. She especially loved playing on her community Quidditch team, where she played Seeker.

It was a fairly sunny day, excellent game conditions. Her community team was playing against another inter-city team in the region's semi-finals. It had been a good game so far, and her team was up by twenty points, although she hadn't seen any sign of the Snitch yet.

Suddenly, Cho noticed a gleam of golden light atop the opposing goal post. Apparently, so did the other Seeker. With her sleek black hair flying behind her, Cho raced toward the Snitch. The other Seeker didn't have a chance.

Cho's knew her team had won as her fingers closed over the Snitch –as well as…a letter?

Once Cho was safely on the ground, she hastily stuffed the letter into her pocket. She didn't give the letter much thought until after the celebration, when she was back in her bedroom. She recognized the Hogwarts seal immediately, and quickly tore open the letter, scanning it over:

Dear Ms. Chang…

Hannah Abbott was having a hard time reading her over-the-summer homework, "The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 6," with all the noise around her.

Mrs. Abbott was in the kitchen, cooking dinner, and Hannah's eldest sister, Beatrix, was helping her. Hannah was quite fond of her sister. Beatrix was already out of Hogwarts, and had a steady job in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Transportation, giving out Apparating licenses at the Apparition Test Center. She wasn't married yet, though – with her wavy blonde hair and perfect complexion, Beatrix tended to go through a lot of boyfriends in small amounts of time.

Hannah was supposed to be keeping an eye on her younger brother and sister, but she was trying to multi-task by doing her homework at the same time. Eleanor, 11, and Oswald, 9, were involved in an intense game of Gobstones. Every time one would squirt at her, Eleanor would scream and Oswald would start laughing. Eleanor would be starting Hogwarts this year, and the whole family had high hopes for her to continue the family tradition of being in Hufflepuff House.

Hannah was starting to lose her concentration, which only made her cheeks even pinker than they usually were, which looked physically impossible. Suddenly, an owl flew in through the open window, carrying a letter. Hannah tugged at her blonde curls angrily – she already had too many distractions, and didn't need one more. However, the owl headed straight for her and dropped the letter in her lap.

Mrs. Abbott and Beatrix didn't seem to notice. Eleanor and Oswald cast shifty glances at Hannah, but quickly returned to their game. Hannah didn't bother to look at whom the letter was from. She anxiously tore it open, and was quite surprised at its contents.

Dear Ms. Abbott…


	2. The Letter

Greetings,  
  
I am dreadfully sorry to intrude on your summer vacation. If this weren't so necessary, then I wouldn't have sent you the letter in the first place.  
  
The truth is, there are terrible times coming for both good and evil. The Sorting Hat has brought to my attention the urgency of house unity. I have called upon you, and three other girls from the other houses, to put aside your differences and unite for the summer. Yes, this does mean that a representative from Gryffindor will have to befriend a Slytherin. We must achieve a bond underneath Hogwarts' roof.  
  
The war has started. There have already been great casualties. If this war progresses further, there will be loss on both sides. This is to assure that Hogwarts will be unharmed. Over everything, I value education. Without the light of knowledge, we would all be in the dark.  
  
If you fail to comply, then I'm afraid that I will not permit you to come back to Hogwarts – ever. I do hope that you realize how urgent this is.  
  
Date: the second day of July of this year  
  
Time: noon  
  
Place: King's Cross, Platform 9 3/4  
  
I will open the platform from 11:30 to 12:30. Please bring all of your Hogwarts things – we will take all of the unnecessary items and leave them in the castle for safekeeping. Please pack a second small bag with muggle clothes, your wand, and any essentials. You will not be spending your summer in Hogwarts; it is much too big for four girls. I will inform you on the rest when you arrive.  
  
Best Wishes,  
  
Dumbledore  
  
"Huh?" questioned Hannah aloud, "Why would Dumbeldore want me? Heaven knows that I am not the best Huffelpuff out there. What could this mean?"  
  
Suddenly, Oswald snatched the letter from Hannah. "Ooooh! What's this? Who would give YOU letters? Do you have a secret admirer?" Oswald gripped the letter to his chest and darted away.  
  
This angered Hannah. "Mom!" she screamed, "Oswald took my letter! Tell him to give it back!"  
  
"What is this about a letter, sweetie?"  
  
"Dumbeldore wrote me a letter. He wants me to go to Kings Cross in two days. If I don't go, then I will be expelled. Can I go, please?" pleaded Hannah.  
  
Mrs. Abbott chuckled. "Of course you may go, I trust Dumbledore and I believe that you should make use of your summer. Do you need an owl to send letters with? We will go to Diagon Alley to get anything you need tomorrow. Did Dumbeldore include a supply list for next year?"  
  
At that moment, another letter from Dumbeldore dropped in.  
  
After watching the scene, Beatrix chuckled and stated, "That must be the list."  
  
Cho stared up at her ceiling – completely baffled. 'What's happening to my summer?' she thought aloud. Along with the letter there was a school supply list. She immediately sent an owl to Mrs. Chang; her mom was still overseas working on dragons:  
  
Hey Mom,  
  
I just got a letter from Dumbledore. He wants me to spend the rest of my summer with three other girls. He said something about house unity. Tomorrow I am going shopping for the things I need. I will be home for the holidays.  
  
Love,  
  
Cho  
  
"My word!" gasped Pansy as she furiously sat back down to Mrs. Malfoy's lovely dinner. "Of all things!"  
  
"What's bothering you Pansy?" queried Malfoy, "What did the oaf have to say?"  
  
"He's making me spend the rest of my summer with three other girls from different houses. If I don't, he said that he would expel me!"  
  
Draco gasped, then paused. Then a slow smile came to his face. "You!"  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes, you are just what the Death Eaters need right now! There are so many secrets you can find out for us. You could be the key to the war!"  
  
Pansy blushed. For Draco, she would do anything. When she finally had the courage to say something, she managed to whisper, "Ok, I'll do it."  
  
Mrs. Malfoy straightened. "Well, it seems like you need to be taken to Diagon Alley to gather your things. Draco needs to go as well. Would you like to come with us?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Erm – I need to leave," Hermione told Viktor as she held her packed suitcase. "You see, I got this letter from Dumbledore and..."  
  
Viktor stopped her. He calmly pulled her hair behind her ears and lightly pecked her on the cheek. "It's ok. I vill zee you zometime. Please write."  
  
Hermione stepped into one of the huge fireplaces of Krum Manor with her and yelled "Leaky Cauldron." She figured that she could spend the night in the Leaky Cauldron and send an owl to her parents explaining the whole thing. She knew that they would understand.  
  
When she got to the Inn, she paid for a night's stay in a room and went up to start unpacking. There was already someone up in her room in the fire when she got there.  
  
"Hello? Who's there?"  
  
"Why 'ello Hermione. Dumbeldore told us you were doing a special project for Hogwarts. Harry and I are dying to know what it is. Isn't that right Harry?"  
  
In the distance, Hermione could hear Harry grumble, "Ya, sure." He was still upset over Sirius' death.  
  
Hermione sympathized with Harry She almost pitied him. He now had no real family. She sighed and told Ron about the house unity project.  
  
"Wow, what an honor! To represent Gryffindor! You must be pleased!"  
  
Hermione blushed as red as Ron's hair. Hermione and Ron talked for a while about what they have done this summer so far. Then she yawned, "I must get to bed, I need to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow and shop for my school things. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Hermione," said Harry and Ron in unison.  
  
Hermione watch them disappear from the fireplace. Then she changed into her nightdress and fell onto her bed. She closed her eyes thinking, 'This is going to be a long summer.' 


	3. Pumpkin Ice Cream

A/N: I call upon the muses to help me write this tale for I have suffered serious writers block! (Hey, it worked for Homer, he called upon the muses to help him write 2 simple poems, and, well, you know the rest.)

Disclaimer: Well, no one reads this story anyway, so I could very well just write down an actual Harry Potter book and no one would care. But, since I am a good human being, I decided that being lazy was bad and that I should just use J.K. Rowling's characters does Wayne's World bowing while chanting "I'M NOT WORTHY!" over and over and write using the plot developed by the wonderful Jen Riddle, Ksanka, and myself, Mooney's Girl. (P.S. I don't own Wayne's World either, and yes, it is a sad world because I don't.) (P.P.S. Jen Riddle will also no longer be mentioned as an author for this story because she really did not put any work into it, besides helping develop the original plot – but her other stuff is tres marvy!)

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Cho woke up early and jumped on her broom for some Quidditch exercises. Harry Potter – cute as he may be – wasn't going to beat her this year. She was a strong seventh year and she was sure that she would have no trouble in besting the "Boy-Who-Lived" after her hard summer training.

She loved flying. It made her forget all her problems for a while as she soared and dived in the air. Actually, it took her all summer after her fifth year to get back on a broom, because every time she touched a broom, she couldn't stop thinking about where Cedric would be, and what it would be like to fly with him just one more time. The memory of her beloved Cedric Diggory was painful, and she wept just thinking of him.

After Quidditch, she said a self-cleaning spell, grabbed her list and threw some Floo Powder into the fire. Slowly and clearly she stated, "Diagon Alley!"

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Hermione sighed. She always loved the brisk and bustling aromas of Diagon Alley. Although she loved Harry and Ron, she liked to wander the streets of one of the busiest wizarding places in London alone. She liked looking at all the things in the many shops. Even after five years of knowing the wizarding world, she still was flabbergasted when she caught sight of magnificent wizard's chessboards, or magical broomsticks, or talking mirrors. Then, of course, she has to always mentally slap herself for not remembering where she was. She decided to wander into a bookshop to browse the titles for anything that might help her with her upcoming N.E.W.T.S. or that might keep her interest for the rest of the summer.

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"N.E.W.T.S., N.E.W.T.S., N.E.W.T.S.! I can assure you, Aunt Bea, I'll do fine. Remember? You had me study with you at least three hours each day! I'm sure to pass anything," exploded Hannah to Beatrix.

"I'm sorry, it's just that are you sure you are okay with Defense Against the Dark Arts? I personally am just average in that area, and I know that you had that cow-I mean-Professor Umbridge do nothing-I mean-insufficiently teach you last year. Are you sure you're okay?"

Hannah laughed. When she and her aunt were alone, they were always very honest and open. "You know that I was in the D.A. with Harry Potter, and he was almost as good of a teacher as Remus. Don't worry about me. I can even do a patronus, but don't tell Mom."

"Wow, that took me until I was out of school to learn a patronus! I must say, Harry IS very good at defense against the dark arts. He's almost as good-looking as Remus, as well."

Somehow, Aunt Bea always knew how to make her laugh. "You know, you should really try to go on a date with him. He's smart and quite charming."

Beatrix blushed. "I might just do that. How 'bout a magazine to keep you occupied the rest of the summer?"

Hannah and Beatrix walked into a little newsstand to find a big magazine, for the last part of summer would probably last a long time.

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"How about this one? It looks sturdy, stable, reliant, and basically everything else you need." Draco said, holding up a broom to Pansy. She was going to start flying this year, and he was going to help her.

Pansy eyed the broom 'well that looks good,' then she eyed Draco, 'but so does that.' She was so excited that Draco offered her flying lessons, even though it could be knitting lessons he was offering and she would be just as excited. Since Pansy was never quite appreciated at home, the Malfoy's loving attention was always appreciated, especially since Draco was quite hot.

Out of the blue, Draco asks, "You know that I am captain, right? I was wondering if you could join the team, because I think you will be pretty good, and I think that – well I was wondering if you would like to be a chaser?"

Pansy almost fainted.

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Boy, it was a hot day out. Cho had to find the nearest ice cream place, and fast. She was going to die of starvation, and she had a huge craving for pumpkin ice cream. Although pumpkin juice is quite a common drink amongst wizards, few appreciate the taste of pumpkin ice cream (A/N kind of like pistachios and pistachio ice cream). Immediately, she dived into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and sat at a table. Florean had a lot of time on his hands, so he created a spell that allowed you to tap the table with your wand while saying your order. The order would appear on a special parchment, and Florean would make the ice cream and then float your ice cream to you.

Cho tapped her wand to the table and stated, "Pumpkin Ice Cream."

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Hannah and Beatrix strolled into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. This was always the way that the duo ended their yearly shopping trip. Beatrix always ordered peppermint ice cream, and Hannah always got Pumpkin ice cream. This had been how the tradition went since Hannah's first year.

As Hannah tapped the table with her wand, she said, "Pumpkin Ice Cream."

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Hermione had an emergency. She just spent the entire day shopping and she was not only hungry, but she needed something cold and yummy, so she walked into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and sat down.

She tapped her wand and recited her favorite flavor, "Pumpkin Ice Cream."

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Pansy was starving. It was a good thing that Draco suggested to Mrs. Malfoy that they should get some ice cream. Pumpkin ice cream happened to be her favorite ice cream. Draco thought that she was weird because of it, but Pansy caught him dipping his chocolate frog into peanut butter, and that was even grosser, in her mind.

One at a time, they each tapped their wands on the table and stated their order.

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Dear Customer:

I am sorry to inform you that we are currently out of pumpkin ice cream. If you would like, you may choose another flavor.

Florean Fortescue

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Four angry girls stormed up to the counter with a note in her hand.

"How, in Merlin's name, can there be no pumpkin ice cream?" Hannah, Cho, Pansy and Hermione roared, miraculously, at the same time.

Florean Fortescue was in way over his head. First, he had never seen so many requests for pumpkin ice cream at once, so he had to kindly send them a notice that there was no pumpkin ice cream. Then, four quite pissed off girls come up to him at once. It seems like he angered the wrong people today.

After a few seconds of yelling at the owner, the girls looked around to see who else was yelling.

Pansy demanded, "Who let the mudblood in?"

Cho added, "Yeah, why is Harry's 'mistress' here?" she still hasn't forgiven Harry for going to meet Hermione halfway through their date.

Hermione responded, " Who let you out of your cage, Pansy? Well, Cho, it's nice to see you on a day that you DON'T cry."

Hannah turned to the Florean. "Are you SURE you don't have any more pumpkin ice cream?"

Florean nodded sadly. "My apologies miss."

"Very well. Could I possibly have chocolate chip ice cream then?"

Mr. Florean made her order, and Hannah sat down to enjoy her ice cream with her Aunt Bea.

"Don't you have some Muggles to terrorize? Go find another ice cream store!" yelled Cho.

"No I'm busy terrorizing you," retorted Pansy, "Well, if a mudblood likes pumpkin ice cream, then I seem to have lost my appetite for the stuff. Mr. Fortescue, give me chocolate."

When Pansy received her ice cream, she strutted back to the table where Draco and Mrs. Malfoy happened to be sitting.

"It goes with your dark heart, Pansy," snapped Hermione, "Please, Mr. Fortescue, may I have strawberry ice cream?"

After Florean made her ice cream, Hermione stormed outside, so that she would not have to be near Pansy for another second.

Cho's eyes were watering because she was near tears. "I'd like some vanilla ice cream, please," she managed to choke out.

Cho temporarily set her ice cream down and ran to the bathroom. Through the door came faint sobbing noises.

When all the girls returned to their tables – excluding Cho, who was in the bathroom – an old wizard with long white hair and half moon glasses had to suppress a chuckle as he finished the last bite of his pumpkin ice cream.


	4. Uninvited Visitor

Call this a whim…

Hannah wandered down the aisle of the Hogwarts Express until she found Hermione Granger sitting in one of the front cars, oriented for an immediate exit upon arrival. Hermione, as usual, was face-first into a book when Hannah entered.

"'Ello, Hermione."

Hermione, rather annoyed by her new, unexpected visitor, quickly replied back with a "Hi." Personally, she was enjoying reading her new book: _To Avoid Death: Horcruxes and Such_.

Hannah, noticing the book Hermione was reading suddenly gasped in elation, "No way! I thought I was the only one who was interested in that stuff my age! But of course, it is YOU, Hermione, I shouldn't be as shocked. Have you gotten to the chapter where they physically break down the components in unicorn's blood?"

To this, Hermione raised an eyebrow. Eventually, a smile eased from her pursed lips. "That breakdown alone was fifty pages long! I don't know how anyone could have missed it. No wonder unicorn's blood cannot be manufactured, but the scientific healing advances we can make from the information!"

"I know! Did you read the article in _the Prophet _recently about the experimental salve they have recently started brewing at St. Mungos? Apparently it's based off of the unicorn's blood components and it takes four people and five weeks just to make one batch of salve!"

There was a glimmer in Hermione's eye with hunger for intelligent conversation for just a moment. The moment passed, and Hermione realized who she was talking to. Her face became stoic as she resumed reading, ignoring her visitor.

Hannah took the hint and left the train car to find another girl. The other girls really spaced themselves out a lot. Hannah couldn't stand not having the company of others. Mountains could be moved with the undeniable force of friends. In the very middle of the train, Pansy was busy scratching away at a very lengthy piece of parchment. Silently, she entered, waiting for Pansy to finish.

Pansy wasn't deaf. She heard Hannah enter. She was just more occupied with writing Draco, telling him how miserable she was without him. Hopefully, he could stop thinking about revenge, anger and nobility for one moment to realize that she would care for him no matter what he did. She finished her letter and attached it to Rodney, her well-managed, coal-black owl. She turned back to her unexpected visitor.

"What do I owe to your presence, Ms. Abbott?"

"Well, I was inquiring about who had the pretty broom that was loaded on the train this morning, and they told me it was yours. When did you decide to take up flying?"

Pansy glared at her visitor. She was planning on using the broom this summer to practice and – well – learn how to fly. Although she would be on the Slytherin team no matter what, she wanted to prove to Draco that she had some skill. It was also an excuse to get out of the company of her enemies.

"What's it to you, Abbott?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just looking for some flying lessons for myself."

"Well, you won't find them here. I will also be learning."

"Oh. I'm told that all pure-bloods are naturals at flying. You should be able to teach me after a week."

Pansy smirked. It was true; all of her family learned to fly in less than one week, and well. It took her uncle as little as a day. To this she sat up a little straighter.

"You have a good point there Abbott, the Parkinsons have always been superior flyers. I expect that you will not interfere in my training for a full week, and then I shall instruct you. I trust you have a broom, as you will not be sharing mine. Dismissed."

Hannah waited to smile until she had left the car. She knew she had gotten her lessons, and it would have been insulting to smile at a Slytherin after she had given in. Reveling in her own ability to persuade, Hannah found herself at the back of the train with a faint sound of weeping coming from the last car. She already knew it was none other than Cho in that car as she cautiously approached. She quickly transfigured some parchment in her pocket into some Kleenex as she entered the car.

"Here"

Cho stopped sniffling as she turned to find her visitor offering her some tissues. She gratefully accepted the offering and proceeded to blow her nose and wipe her tears for five minutes. Hannah waited patiently for her to speak first.

"You don't have to be nice to me. Cedric has been gone for over a year now. I really have nothing to cry about."

Hannah paused a moment, looking at her. "But all this time no one really understood why you were grieving."

Now it was Cho's turn to stare. "Yeah, no one ever got Cedric and me. He was from a different house, and very different from myself. He wasn't as smart nor as cunning as the other boys. But he brought out things in me that I never knew I had. He was something I had to look forward to. The Ravenclaw girls never got that. He was always just a 'cute Hufflepuff,' never anything more."

"What about Harry? Most girls would have killed to be in your shoes!"

"I was just a 'cute Ravenclaw' to him. He was never as mature as Cedric. He's happier with Hermione."

Hannah didn't have the heart to correct her. She wouldn't interfere with whatever helped Cho sleep at night, instead of crying.

"You know, Hannah, I'm fine. I was just letting go of him finally before Pansy and Hermione made mince-meat out of me this summer. You better get changed. We're about ten minutes away."

As Hannah was leaving the car, Cho called back over her shoulder, "Thanks for the tissues."

Hannah retrieved her luggage from her much-neglected train car and quickly changed into her school robes. Dumbeldore must have a really good idea for keeping these girls together, because if the train ride showed anything, "house unity" is not going to be an easy task!


	5. Repacking

Dumbeldore chuckled to himself when he saw three miserable girls slup off the Hogwarts Express, followed by one cheerful girl prancing behind them. He cleared his throat:

"Good Morning girls."

Hannah was the first to chirp, "Good morning, professor." The rest followed, grumbling their replies to the professor.

"Well, I trust that you had a pleasant trip. You will be allowed to go to your respective rooms to change for your assignment and repack if necessary." He paused for a moment. "The password to your dormitories is inscribed inside your robes. Even though you are all prefects next year, you must wait for the start of the term to use that bathroom."

Hermione, ever curious, demanded, "And what IS the assignment, professor?"

"Well, Hermione, you shall be brewing and improving upon the St. Mungo's salve. I trust you have heard of it? Read it in _the Prophet_ perhaps?"

At this point all four girls gasped.

"What! That hasn't even had successful test runs yet! And what makes you think that Pansy can brew a decent potion or that Cho won't get her tears mixed up in the salve?"

"If you weren't so busy in the library, you would know that you are not the only one with an O in potions. Aren't I beating you in Herbology? Or did you tune out the fact that a SLYTHERIN is better than you at something?"

"And I'm no slouch either. When I'm not flying my broom around the Quidditch field, I study magical creatures. I learn more by observing than in your silly little books."

"They're both right, Hermione. I may be from Hufflepuff, but I'm no slouch in academics. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but we're all pretty smart."

Dumbledore chuckled. He knew there was a reason why he picked these four. "Well, that saves me the breath. Your assignment will be to research the making of the salve, and to find a way to finish it. I expect an oral report at the start of the term. You are due back to the Great Hall in one hour where Hagrid will escort you to your home for the rest of the summer. Good day."

The four girls wandered up to their dorms. Pansy wandered towards the dungeons muttering a word sounding like 'scumbag' under her breath. She got to her dorm and threw off her robes. If she was going to be stuck somewhere far away with three vile year-mates then she was not going to be in stuffy school robes. She quickly changed into some green capris and a white shirt. They were going to remember what house she came from: the superior, pure house. She went over what she had already packed in her smaller luggage. Thanks to Mrs. Malfoy, she had top supply of everything. Just in case, she added in some of her personal supply of herbs and seeds. You couldn't count on mudbloods to provide ingredients, even though the assignment is potions making. Casting a quick minimizing charm on her broom, she placed it in her suitcase and eventually eased her way to the Great Hall. On her way out, she went to the 6th year boys dorm. She couldn't get her mind off of Draco. What was he getting himself into? Just because you are pureblood doesn't mean you have to be stupid. The best part of being magical nobility is all the freedoms you are given. Why would you give that power to some half-blood, no matter how powerful he happens to be? Where blood used to mean everything, it sure means nothing anymore. Sometimes people let their anger get in the way of what's really important. After sitting a moment in profound thought, she made her own way to the Great Hall.

Cho couldn't believe that a Gryffindor could be so close-minded. Yes, Ravenclaws had pretty narrow thinking, but Cho always admired the Gryffindors for their defense of even the smallest minorities. They just seemed all around good. Did that make them feel superior? What happened to their omniscience? At least Ravenclaws had some common sense. This was ridiculous. In fact, Ravenclaws were seriously under rated, causing cynicism at an unnaturally early age. If only they could get some respect.

Well never mind that. She was already at her dorm. She examined her smaller luggage, making sure she packed everything. After her inquiry was complete, she added several notebooks, and charmed a couple of ink bottles, making them travel-safe. In a way, she was actually a little excited to be out doing field work. She looked in the mirror and realized that she still had school robes on. That wouldn't do! She changed into her favorite pair of jeans and her baby blue t-shirt. Not that she wanted to display her house colors, blue was just her favorite color. Yeah, her favorite color. She loved her house, but she didn't need to display it all the time. Throwing her luggage strap over her shoulder she wandered into the Great Hall.

Hermione spent a grand total of five minutes in her room. Just enough time to change into some red shorts and a yellow t-shirt. Her house colors really complemented her Bulgarian tan. Thanks to her prepared mind, her suitcase was already packed, but she would need some books in the library for some extra information. She levitated her small suitcase behind her and headed for the library.

Strangely, the library was unlocked. Hermione entered. "Hello? Madame Pince?"

Movement sounded from the restricted section. "Hello, Hermione! How's my favorite girl?"

"Why are you here midsummer?"

"Dumbeldore told me what you girls would be doing, and I know that you would need some help so he asked me to come and help you out. Since you're here, I can show you what he and I have come up with so you can use all of the library's reasources. It will save me a trip to the Great Hall to explain. Come look."

Madame Pince led Hermione to the back of the room where she came across a small porthole. "There is one just like this in your house that you are staying. Only books and pieces of parchment can pass through. Every three days, I will check the porthole for your book requests. Then, I will send you the books through here at noon. Someone needs to be there every three days to receive these books."

Hermione felt like hugging Madame Pince right there. It would have been too much, to be cut off entirely from her books and stuck with three girls she'd rather not be with for that long of time. Skipping a little, she headed to the Great Hall, her luggage obediently floating behind her.

Hannah reviewed her luggage items. Oh GOSH! She forgot underwear! Blushing to no one in particular, she packed in some underwear. She slipped out of her robes into her yellow sundress. It was the only yellow thing she owned and it brought out her vibrant yellow hair. She always liked the color yellow. It was always so cheery and friendly. It practically screamed, "Be my friend!" which was exactly her personality. She headed back downstairs in hopes that someone else was done repacking early so she could talk to another girl.

Hannah, as she thought, was first. She put her suitcase on the floor and did something she always wanted to do. She stretched out on the staff table. No one was looking! Although the House tables were always moved around between mealtimes, the staff table remained where it was for all functions save the occasional ball. It was then transfigured into a stage for the band. As she stretched out on the table, she heard another person walk in and chuckle. Hannah sat up and saw a tall, Chinese face laughing at her.

Hannah suddenly pulled a mock-defensive wall around her. "Don't tell me that you've never wanted to do this. Stop laughing and join me!"

Cho took a moment and considered this. Hannah laid back on the table and not a moment later heard Cho dropping her luggage on the floor and getting on the staff table with her. Hannah just chuckled to herself, hoping Cho wouldn't notice. But Cho did, and ended up chuckling with her.

At that moment, Pansy walked in, her face with absolute disgust. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Cho just sat up and stared at her. "Don't be a prick Pansy. Just lay down here with us."

"Sorry Cho, but Parkinson's lay down for no person." However, she did lay her luggage with the other luggage on the floor and proceeded to sit on the staff table between the two girls. Hannah and Cho giggled and managed to grab on to Pansy's arms, pulling her down on the table with them. Out burst a guffaw from Pansy. The girls could have been best friends if they weren't separated by things like houses and bloodlines.

Hermione, not to be the bad egg, silently levitated her luggage over to the pile and sat on the floor. Maybe she would come to like these girls. It was true, they were better at her at something: having fun. She released her levitating charm on her luggage and it dropped on the floor. A little too hard.

Pansy sat up. "Too good for us Granger? You can't do anything without ruining the fun, can you?"

Hermione's pride kicked in. "At least I have the decency to sit on the ground, not where our professors will be EATING!"

Cho leaped off the table. "Oh, let me at her!"

Hannah leaped up and tackled Cho, preventing her from getting at Hermione. Pansy laughed and smirked as she said, "It's not like you could take Granger anyway."

Hermione looked at her. Was that a complement?

It obviously wasn't a complement for Cho. She stopped her efforts for Hermione and headed for Pansy. Hannah was still restraining her, but this was a losing battle. As soon as Hannah finally lost her control for Cho, Hagrid entered.

"ENOUGH!!!!!"

All four girls stopped what they were doing and stood still. Hagrid never raised his voice to students, and it was intimidating.

He continued. "Get your luggage and follow me."

The girls scrambled to get their luggage. Hermione reconsidered casting her levitation charm and carried her suitcase manually. Then, Hagrid led them through the Forbidden Forrest.

A/N: To Just some random reviewer…please read on! You will see why I have Pansy really like Draco right now. Don't worry that will change! Thank you for also being my most recent, and only new reviewer!


	6. The Cottage

Hagrid cheerfully led the girls through the forbidden forest. Well, cheerful for him. HE could walk for miles. All of the other girls, save the fit Ravenclaw, looked like the seventh circle of hell would be more endurable than this trek.

Hermione knew that she would begin to feel the after-effects of a nice Bulgarian vacation. She just hoped that she didn't have to go through a three-hour hike through the Forbidden Forest to realize that she was so out of shape. However, she didn't feel as bad about her physique when she saw Pansy and Hannah panting right along with her. She gazed with envy at the joyous Cho who was currently bouncing right in step with the equally cheerful half-giant. Curse that girl, with her Qudditch and her athleticism.

Just as Hermione was about to resort to a levitation charm for her luggage, the group came across a large clearing. There was a lonely cottage to one side of a clearing. The clearing itself was about an acre large, an amazing size for the heart of the thick Forbidden Forest. The cottage was natural stone, with a semi-unsteady foundation. The roof was straw, and in a great need of another thatching. Hermione guessed the house had to be an old farm-house. Circa sixteenth century perhaps. The place was a little too far from Hogsmeade to make a decent living off of the soil, which was now all over the four girl's shoes.

The girls stepped inside and Pansy scoffed at the miniscule size of the place. Only three rooms. Her house elves had a humble four room hut, and that was made her family seem stingy. The entry room had a fireplace that looked like it hadn't been swept since its creation along with a couch that was less comfortable than the _Cruciatus_ curse. The second room was no better. Four beds were equipped with blankets and spaced to the far corners of the room. Two changing screens were located on either side of the room, ready for use. Pansy placed her bag on the bed closest to the door and glared at the three other girls, daring them to take her bed. Parkinsons always have first choice. She then followed the Hannah into the final room.

Hannah was the most excited about this room. This is where most of the action would be. It was simple, yet functional. A large cauldron was placed in the middle of the room. How much salve is Dumbledore expecting? A corner was packed to the brim with many common and uncommon potion ingredients. They even had boomslang skin!

THUD. That was odd. A book just fell out of the wall. "Ummm. Can anyone explain this?"

Hermione peeked her head into the room. "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you. Madame Pince had arranged for a portal between this house and the library. We can pass our requests for books on parchment through the portal. Every three days, she will check the portal and send along the books through the portal at noon. Someone needs to make sure they pick them up."

Hannah reached for the book. _Salvaging Salves_. Interesting title. This would be a good place to start the research. If the article in _the Prophet_ was correct, the salve would take five weeks to make, which left no more than three weeks to research.

Meanwhile, Cho was observing the exterior of the cabin. Obviously, repairs needed to be done. Good thing the long grass in the clearing would be sufficient enough to patch the roof. The stones, however, needed to be refortified. Why did Dumbledore not repair this cottage? Men can be so forgetful. The sun was near set, so the repairs would have to wait for another day. She headed into the cottage to settle into her new home.

The other three were already good and settled into their nightdresses. Cho disappeared inside the screen and reappeared with her favorite pajamas on. She started to unpack her suitcase. It didn't take long for her to realize that there were no places for, well, anything.

"Merlin! Where did Dumbledore expect us to put everything! We need a set of drawers to make sure our clothes stay clean! UGH! MEN!"

"Put a sock in it, Cho. If I have to endure these inferior conditions, you will as well. Just stop fussing about it." Pansy then took the sudden silence to take out a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink. After lighting her wand to see, she began to write on the parchment. Even though she couldn't bring her owl to the, erg, residence, she could document her stay in case there was anything interesting to notify Draco with. After taking up a foot of parchment with her account of the recent events, she cast a quick privacy spell over the parchment and slid it underneath the mattress. Hermione and she were the last two still awake. The sun had barely set an hour ago, but Pansy didn't care. She was fatigued after such a trying day. She fell back into her bed and ended the light spell which was cast on her wand. Within moments she was asleep.

Hermione was almost done with her itinerary for the next couple of days. She had already filled an astonishing four feet of parchment filled with books they would need from the library. She finished not long after Pansy extinguished the light on her wand. Extinguishing her own wand, Hermione looked around at the other sleeping girls. She shouldn't have been so quick to judge them. Even Pansy seemed tolerable. She knew she had to do something to let them know that she didn't carry her wand up her arse. Remembering what Cho had said earlier, she wandlessly summoned the soot from the fireplace and carefully directed it to the middle of the room. She concentrated for several moments on the soot, imagining it to take the form of her will. A few minutes later, the soot vanished, and dresser appeared in its stead. The dresser was a nicely finished cherry wood and had one large drawer facing each bed. Satisfied, but also briefly worn out from her effort, Hermione fell back into her bed to sleep, letting the dark and her dreams sort out her thoughts on her new house-mates.

Hermione thought that no one was watching her when she transfigured the dresser, but some one was. When Hermione fell asleep, the girl smiled and thought to herself: "Maybe she's okay. So what if she stole Harry."

A/N: Just another random reader: thank you so much for reading my story! I'm glad you like it so far! I know this chapter was short, and I apologize. I also will not be able to update till about Tuesday or Wednesday. Just because I will surely burn out on this story at the rate I am writing these chapters. And the next few chapters will be really important because it will catch the story up to the 6th book! Slowly, but surely. I hope that you continue to read, because as long as you read the story, I will surely keep writing!


	7. Mornings with chocolate

Hannah was always one of those people who woke up really early in the morning no matter how tired they were. She woke up after her first exhausting night in the cottage and realized that the sun had not completely come up. She felt her way around to the entry room of the cottage, trying to remember where everything had been the night before so she wouldn't step on it this morning. Remembering that the girl's beds were all in the corners, she tried her way through the middle of the room. She wasn't expecting to make a sound, but after all she wasn't expecting to trip over a dresser sitting in the middle of the room either.

WHAM! Hannah yelped in surprise.

"Well you clumsy fool, now you have me up. Did you not receive adequate walking lessons as a child?" Pansy was NOT a morning person.

"I can walk, but obviously I have trouble seeing in the dark. Was this dresser here before?"

Pansy sharpened her vision to see the new dresser just sitting in the middle of the room. Marveling in its convenience, she levitated her belongings into one of the dresser drawers.

Turning back to Hannah, Pansy glared at her for a minute. How on earth could someone voluntarily get up this early? "Since you have indeed wakened me, you shall have to make the breakfast tea." Parkinsons never asked for things.

Hannah, barely functional enough to argue, stumbled into the main room, where the kitchen supplies were kept. Tea did sound nice. She would have to change the main room into a functioning kitchen if they ever expected to eat a cooked meal, and she would probably have to do that today. Hannah clamored around until she found the kettle and went outside to a nearby creek for some water. As she was outside, she heard a loud welp coming from…the sky?

Cho loved flying. The morning was the best time to fly because that was when the heat from working your muscles combined with the crisp morning air. She was elated that brooms were allowed on this little "assignment." She was not a happy person without her morning ride. As the sun was now starting to rise in the sky, she looked back at the cottage and saw a little white figure waving to her in the distance. She descended to find it was Hannah, getting water from a nearby stream.

"Good morning."

Hannah smiled at her. She was starting to wake up into her normal, cheery self. "Good morning, Cho. Here I thought that I would be the first one up. Would you like to help me make tea?"

"We have tea?"

"It's a gift from Dumbledore. We must have overlooked it in the main room in our hurry to get to bed last night. He gave us some nice black tea to last us at least three months as well as some seeds for growing our own garden."

"What can I do to help?"

"I do need fire wood. Can you chop some for me?"

"I can, but I don't need to. I saw a stash of firewood for us behind the house. I'll go fetch some logs."

Hannah walked back into the cottage with a kettle filled with fresh water. She looked at the fireplace. Somehow, it looked like it had been partially swept since the night before, but there was still a considerable amount of ash. Broom in hand, Hannah began attacking the mounting gray dust inside the fireplace, trying to sweep it outside. Although most of the dust ended up outside, a considerable amount was flung into the air, causing a few coughs from not only Hannah, but also Pansy and Hermione in the other room.

Pansy coughed loudly. What was Hannah doing in that room? She had specifically asked for some tea, not her daily dose of air pollution. She stumbled into the main room to see what was going on.

Hermione had been dreaming about sitting on her grandfather's knee while he smoked tobacco out of his pipe when she awoke coughing loudly. Wait, was that real? No, her grandfather had been dead for several years. It took her several moments to adjust her eyes to the daylight and assess the situation. She was in the cottage, and there were voices in the entry room. A snooty one, Pansy, and a cheerful one, Hannah, were talking. Remembering the new dresser, Hermione unpacked her clothes, leaving the to-do list and the book list on her side of the table top. She then proceeded to the kitchen in search of breakfast.

Hermione could hear the whistle of the tea kettle over the warm fireplace as she entered the main room. She sunk along the nearby wall in order to avoid Pansy's sudden rage in temper.

"What do you mean that there is no food? The old oaf didn't get us food but he was looney enough for some tea? How on earth did he get to run Hogwarts?"

"Calm down, Pansy. I brought along some chocolate frogs and chocolate cauldrons. We can eat that until we can deal with our food situation."

"Oh, count on the pudgy Hufflepuff to have some chocolate saved away for a rainy day. Parkinson's never eat chocolate for breakfast, unless it come straight from Latin America and it is drizzled on something equally expensive. I should have just quit school and left all the blood traitors and mudbloods to rot in this once prestigious Hogwarts!"

Hermione would have gasped at this statement, if she had not remembered that no one knew she was here. Cho did gasp; what horrible things Pansy said! Hannah just stood still. For once, she was not smiling. Calmly she took the steaming kettle off the fire and poured Pansy a cup of steaming black tea. Pansy eagerly accepted it and began sipping the tea. Hermione knew she had to add getting food to the top of her to-do list. She silently retreated back to the bedroom to brainstorm her options.

Five minutes crept by while Hannah and Cho waited for Pansy to finish her tea. After Pansy drained the last drop out of her mug, she slammed the cup on the table as an indication to pour seconds. Hannah obliged and poured a cup for Cho and herself as well. The three girls just sat there sipping their tea in silence. Cho was the first to finish, but she didn't jump up right away, but instead sat there silently. Hannah finished as well and followed suit.

Once Pansy finished, she looked up. The scowl had melted from her face. "How about that chocolate we've been hearing so much about?"

Hannah smiled and went to the bedroom to fetch her chocolate. As she was leaving she saw Pansy turn to Cho and say, "You see, I am not a morning person."

Cho almost died from laughter. Hannah had to hold the doorway for support because she was laughing so hard. Even Pansy's smirk turned into a smile. It felt good to laugh, even though they were still far from becoming friends. It just felt good to laugh.

Hannah stumbled into the bedroom and found Hermione scribbling away at some parchment.

"What are you doing still in bed, Hermione? The sun is up, and we are all going to have breakfast."

"Chocolate frogs and cauldrons, I know. I will be there in a minute."

"What is that you're writing on about?"

"Let me tell you in a minute."

"Can you take it into the main room?"

"In just a minute."

Oddly enough, Hermione's rude behavior was more offensive to Hannah than Pansy's little morning outburst. It was probably because Pansy said those things because she was cranky, but it seems that Hermione always acts like that.

Hannah found her chocolate and placed it on the dresser table in the middle of the room. She put her hands on her hips. "Honey, we are having CHOCOLATE for breakfast, not brussel sprouts. Breakfast will be gone in 'just a minute.'" With that, she collected her chocolate and left.

Hermione couldn't believe that Hannah had that much sass in her. She must have done something to piss that girl off. She gathered her materials and moved into the main room.

No one said good morning to Hermione as she sat down at the table in the main room except for Hannah. She didn't make Hermione feel guilty about being rude a minute before; she just passed along a chocolate frog and smiled. Hermione forgot that chocolate frogs were enchanted to jump, and as soon as she unwrapped it, it headed straight for Pansy's lap.

Pansy picked the frog off her lap and threw it across the table to Hermione. "I believe that this belongs to you." She was almost smiling when she said it.

Cho snickered a little and poured Hermione a cup of tea. Hermione graciously accepted the cup and munched down on her chocolate frog.

Cho looked at the pieces of parchment Hermione carried in with her. "What have you been scribbling about today?"

Hermione answered between bites of chocolate. "Its just a couple of things that need to be done around the cottage and for the salve."

Pansy started to read the To-Do list out loud. "_Get food. Maybe hunt? Maybe plant?_

Did Mrs. Weasley teach you anything at that despicable home of yours? Every pure-blood knows how to perform a quick-harvest spells, hunting spells and cooking spells. It's just that the food does not taste as good, or it requires more effort, so it is taught as a survival skill."

Cho chimed in. "That means that we can do withough several books – err, get me a quill, Hannah – _Food for thought_ is out, as well as _Magical meals_…" Cho began mumbling to herself as she crossed out thirty other books concerning food.

Pansy resumed reading the list. "_Fix Cottage: roof, fireplace, dusting._"

Hannah piped up. "I need to get this room into a functional kitchen. Put that down there"

"Quill, Cho. _Kitchen. _Next, _Ask Madame Pince for books under certain areas: unicorn study, salve study, potion making, life revival._"

"I need the quill back, Pansy. We can do without all these unicorn books, I can learn more from just flying around and watching them like I did two summers ago with my uncle in Slovakia. The English unicorns can't be that different from the ones over there. So that rules out seventy-three books we don't need." Cho resumed eagerly scratching away at the parchment.

"While you're at it, scratch out the ones on potion making. We're in our sixth or seventh years next year! If you don't know how to make a potion by now then you're never going to learn."

Cho's scratching became quicker in pace. "A five-book Gilderoy Lockhart series on salves! Hermione, are you daft? Everyone knows that guy is a quack!"

Pansy smirked and looked back at the To-Do list. "Let's see here…_acquire ingredients needed for salve according to current St. Mungo's research. _I wish that you wouldn't insult my intelligence or my preparation skills, Hermione. I have done research on this salve and I am quite familiar with its current ingredients. I have my own stash of potion ingredients but we are also well stocked in the rare ingredients. The fresh things needed happen to grow abundant in the Forbidden Forest."

Cho finished marking up the parchment. She looked back at her work and sighed. Content, she passed it to Pansy, who nodded her approval as she sent it to Hannah, who smiled as she handed it to Hermione. Still shocked from seeing her valuable work destroyed in a matter of minutes, Hermione grabbed the parchment. Cho had crossed out all two hundred and ninety-two books except for fifteen. Only fifteen books! How was she expected to research a complex salve on only fifteen books? She stood up from her chair and fainted.

A/N: Jarr: I like that abbr. It kinda sounds like something a lion would say. Or a pirate. I hope you like it! Lately I've been cursed with amazing weather that makes me want to stay outside all day, not sit at home, so I haven't been writing for a while.


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